Picking up the pace towards a fully integrated digital region

Identity matching is necessary to enable cross-border mobility for our residents, and we are in a very good position to achieve this.

In a new declaration adopted by the Nordic and Baltic Ministers of Digitalisation in Reykjavik, Iceland, the ambition is to encourage competent authorities in each country, such as the population registries and digital service providers, to include efforts on cross-border identity matching in their policies and agendas to make everyday life for residents and businesses easier.

- I see this an important milestone, a significant next step, for the Nordic-Baltic cooperation on digitalisation. As the current Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, Iceland will continue the work to deepen the commitment towards a multilateral agreement between our countries that will increase the accuracy, smoothness, and security of cross-border identity matching, says Iceland´s Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Bjarni Benediktsson.

Building upon the high level of trust and willingness to collaborate, this declaration shows a strong political commitment to work towards achieving identity matching. It also gives a clear mandate to the countries and respective authorities to make this possible.

- I am delighted that the Nordic and Baltic ministers, with the commitments made in this declaration, will give our region a head start in leading the development on cross border identity matching on a European level. At the same time, they will contribute to fulfilling the goal of making our region the most integrated in the world, says Karen Ellemann, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

The declaration will be followed by a roadmap developed by field experts from the Nordic and Baltic countries, and the authorities will together work on enabling identity matching across borders.